Cheryl Ann Kary (Hunkuotawin) is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from the University of Mary, as well as Master’s Degrees in Management and in Business Administration. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication & Public Discourse from the University of North Dakota.In 2013, Kary was awarded a Bush Foundation fellowship under which she developed and conducted a survey of off-reservation American Indians in the Bismarck-Mandan area. This work helped her establish the Sacred Pipe Resource Center (SPRC), a non-profit organization serving the American Indian population in Bismarck-Mandan.
Cheryl currently serves as the Executive Director of the SPRC. She has worked in and with Tribal communities and populations for the majority of her career and, in addition to professional responsibilities, Kary advocates for Native people and Tribes in a variety of volunteer efforts. Kary was named an OTA Builder in 2014, recognized for seeking creative ways to build civic and community engagement for American Indians in the Bismarck-Mandan area. In 2016, she was recognized as a Leading Lady by the Center for Technology in Business and she received the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition’s Arc of Justice Award for her work in civil and human rights. While she is an introvert by nature, Kary enjoys peopling in moderation. She the mother of four children - Dalayne, Trevan, Tayson, and Tallon – and, in her spare time, she enjoys going to movies and reading.
Ashley is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and grew up in Linton. She is a social worker with a passion for serving people and advocating for social justice. Her previous work experience includes providing case management for individuals struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse disorders, and case management for individuals dealing with housing issues and homelessness. Ashley recently retired from the Army National Guard with 22 years of service. She has one daughter, Remi, and they enjoy going for walks, doing 5K races, bike rides, and going to the pool in the summer. Ashley enjoys playing softball in the summer and volleyball in the winter and mostly spending time with family.
Patricia is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and grew up in Cannon Ball, ND. She previously worked for the Standing Rock Indian Health Service (IHS) for 11 years in various positions. She currently lives in Fort Yates, ND, with her two cats, Winston and Finn, but she wants you to know she’s not a cat lady. In her spare time (when she has it occasionally), she enjoys sewing and beading. Patricia has five kids and four grandchildren as well.
Brek is an enrolled member of the MHA Nation and grew up on the Standing Rock
Sioux Reservation (South Dakota). He is the son of Kenneth Maxon (deceased) and Juanita Maxon (Schanandore). Brek is a small business and economic development consultant dedicated to serving Native entrepreneurs in Indian Country. After graduating from the University of Mary with his bachelor’s in business administration, he
went back home and worked for the Bear Soldier District, getting real world small
business experience for a couple of years. Thereafter, Brek spent most of his
professional career at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, ND first as a
business consultant and then Project Director for the ND/SD Native American Business Development Center. Since then, he has continued to work in the field as a consultant.
Brek and his beautiful wife of 33 years, Kimberlee, enjoy movies, journaling and video
games together. They have five adult children.
Annie High Elk is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She grew up in
Bismarck, graduated high school, and at the age of 22, spread her wings and flew to Seahawk
territory (Seattle, WA).
She became a stay-at-home mom and along with good adventures, she kept busy in her
volunteer position as the president of “Mom’s Club”, a small community where mother’s offered mothers’ support and engaged in activities that included the children.
Annie did return to work when her children were older and worked with developmentally delayed individuals on the spectrum, including those with Aspergers, Autism, Prader-Willi Syndrome.
She also worked as a job coach or program manager at different homes for individuals for 15+ years. Additionally, she worked inside the cage at a large casino in Washington and was part of the school system assisting youth supported by Mckinney-Vento law. After 30 years in Seattle and raising her children-Madi Sioux and “Ike” Isaac- the Covid Pandemic impacted her decision to move back to Bismarck.
Annie currently serves as the Director of Arts and Cultural Engagement. She also assists at
Bismarck Public Schools in leading Indigenous circle groups, as well as helping with various
events such as feather-tying ceremony. Annie is co-guardian “(Auntie- Grandma”) to a 7-year-
old boy and, in her free time, enjoys climbing Bear Butte (yes, to the top!), gardening, painting, fishing, and camping. Annie acknowledges that she is the shortest team member at SPRC!
Board Members
Hello, My name is Chadwick Kramer. I am a Standing Rock Tribal member from the Cannonball District who was born in Fort Yates in 1972. My grandmother was Eva Annie Marie Tail Seewalker or Pretty Feather. Her father was Martin Tail (Seewalker) and her mother was Annie Cross. My mother is Sue Koch (Kramer). I grew up in Bismarck ND and lived there until 1990. I attended University of Minnesota Morris and Moorhead State University. After graduation from college, I married and had two daughters. In 1999, I began working at the ND Indian Affairs Commission at the State Capitol and served as Research Analyst until 2012. Since 2014, I have worked for the Indigenous Education Program (Title VI/Johnson O’Malley) in the Bismarck Public Schools district.
Mark Little Owl is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara (MHA) Nation from the Twin Buttes Segment. The son of Willard Sr. & Mary (Young Eagle) Little Owl, grandson of Ralph & Clara (Grinnell) Little Owl, and the great grandson of Mattie (Nagle) Grinnell. Mr. Little Owl is currently an Outreach Office Director for the Twin Buttes Segment and previously served as the director of the Three Affiliated Tribes outreach office in Bismarck for over eight years. Mr. Little Owl is a proud graduate of the University of North Dakota (UND) earning his Bachelors degree in Social Work (BSSW) and a Masters degree in Social Work (MSW). Mr. Little Owl enjoys advocating and working with elders & families. In his free time, Mr. Little Owl likes to spend time with family, relatives and friends, fishing/boating, camping, attending powwows, and riding his motorcycle along the banks of the Missouri River.
Kelsey Peltier is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, with relations to the Crow Tribe and White Bear First Nations.
A native of Dunseith, N.D., Peltier graduated from the University of North Dakota with a B.S. in Psychology. She is employed with United Tribes Technical College as the Health Promotions Coordinator and Head Women’s Basketball Coach.
Kelsey is currently serving her 8th year as a board member with Sacred Pipe Resource Center, now seated as Board Secretary. Community engagement and Native American advocacy is the center of her committed work in building strong relations within the Bismarck-Mandan community.
My name is Michelle F Provancial, and I am an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. I was born and raised on the Rosebud Reservation. I moved away from the Rosebud in 1990, and I've lived primarily in the Bismarck-Mandan area for over 30 years. I graduated from United Tribes Technical College here in Bismarck twice, earning AAS degrees in Office Technology and Tribal Management. I then graduated from the University of Mary, also located here in Bismarck, with a BS degree in Organizational Leadership. Recently, I graduated from Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma with a MLS degree in Indigenous Peoples Law. My combined education has helped me to pass the bar exam required by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe's bar association, the Sicangu Oyate Bar Association (SOBA), with which I am qualified to work as a lay advocate in my tribal court. I am the mother of 8 children, most of whom are grown and living here in the Bismarck-Mandan area. Right now, I am a full-time caregiver raising 4 young grandsons, ages 9, 7, 4, and 20 months, as well as my 2 youngest children, a set of twins girls, 16-year-old sophomores at Bismarck High School. I am currently serving as a board member of Sacred Pipe Resource Center, as well as serving as the Chairperson of the Burleigh County Housing Authority's Tenant Council. I am honored to be a part of a thriving Indigenous-oriented and community-based organization that is Sacred Pipe.